What to do if tachycardia in pregnant women

During the bearing of a child, the female body is in a stressful state, all organs work in an enhanced mode, including the cardiovascular system, as a result of which tachycardia appears during pregnancy. The essence of such a disease is caused by an accelerated heartbeat, which exceeds the normal 60-90 beats per minute, brings a lot of discomfort to the pregnant woman.

Factors for the development of tachycardia in pregnant women

For the correct appointment of treatment for the disease, it is necessary to understand why tachycardia appears.

In addition to the very fact of pregnancy, during which the female body needs to work “for two”, there are several reasons that, in combination, lead to an increased heartbeat:

• overweight and obesity in different stages;
• Iron-deficiency anemia;
• increased synthesis of thyroid hormones, which is often found in endocrine diseases;
• allergic reactions to prenatal medications or certain foods;
• infectious lesions of the respiratory system, bronchial asthma;

• growth of the uterus, causing displacement of internal organs, including the heart;
• bleeding due to ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage;
• exhaustion of the body after prolonged toxicosis;
• increased body temperature;
• anxiety and stress, diseases of the nervous system;
• trauma and blood poisoning;
• smoking and alcohol;
• incorrect medication intake.

But in general, the causes of increased heart rate in women who are expecting a baby have not been fully studied: there is often a situation where tachycardia is not observed in a calm state, but after even minor physical exertion, the heart begins to beat at an accelerated pace.

Symptoms of tachycardia

The cardiovascular system during gestation is forced to distill blood in double volume, this causes an increase in the number of beats per minute. Although tachycardia during pregnancy is quite common, you should not ignore it completely.

Usually, the symptoms of such a disease are individual for each woman, but in general, only a significant acceleration of the heartbeat can be distinguished.

If the frequency slightly exceeds ninety beats per minute, then this does not manifest itself in the form of pain or discomfort, but with a heartbeat of more than one hundred and twenty beats, a pregnant woman may feel:

• dizziness;
• nausea;
• weakness;
• loss of consciousness.

If such symptoms are observed often, then it is necessary to be examined by a doctor, since in pregnant women the cardiovascular system is working to wear.

An important reason to see a doctor will be numbness of the limbs, lack of strength, chest pain and a constant feeling of anxiety. If tachycardia attacks occur too often, do not delay a visit to the hospital.

Sinus tachycardia

This type of tachycardia is different in that the "engine" of this process is the sinus section, located in the right atrium, which accelerates the heart rate to one hundred and twenty or more beats per minute.

There are two types of sinus tachycardia:

• Physiological, which occurs during the natural reaction of the body to unrest and experiences.
• Pathological, the cause of which are various diseases and anomalies of the heart, especially the sinus section. This results in pain, weakness and shortness of breath.

The main causes that contribute to the appearance of sinus tachycardia include:

• the need to pump much more blood, which provides the body of the child and the woman herself with nutrients;
• diseases and pathologies of different parts of the heart;
• the effect on the body of hormones that cause a global restructuring of all systems;
• enhanced metabolism;
• fetal growth and displacement of the heart by an enlarged uterus;
• constant anxiety for the child and a large amount of stress;
• intensive work of all maternal organs, on which the growth and development of the child depends.

Slightly manifested symptoms of tachycardia are easy to relieve with herbal sedatives, and if the cause was pathology, then they require additional treatment. But you should not ignore the symptoms, since too frequent repetition of tachycardia attacks can gradually turn into arrhythmia, cause pressure drops, not to mention sleep disturbances, a constant feeling of anxiety, and a decrease in immunity.

Paroxysmal tachycardia

This type of tachycardia is a pathological condition, while the heart rate accelerates to 150 or more beats. An attack of paroxysmal tachycardia can last from two minutes to several days, the focus appears in those cardiac departments that produce electrical impulses. They can be the ventricles of the heart, as well as atrial cells.

The main symptoms of this type of tachycardia are:

• weakness, severe malaise, heartbeat accelerates to 150 or more beats;
• dizziness, nausea, tinnitus;
• blood pressure is significantly reduced;
• feeling as if the heart were squeezed in the hand, soreness in the chest;
• the appearance of autonomic dysfunction - nausea, vomiting, flatulence, sweating;

• polyuria, a sharp increase in the amount of urine at the end of the attack, urine is most often loose in structure and pale in color.

If such tachycardia occurs during pregnancy, you should immediately call emergency care, as this indicates heart pathologies of various origins, for example, myocarditis or heart attack. In addition, the cause may be intoxication, provoked by the use of pharmacological agents. In this state, there is a threat of losing the child, even the death of the expectant mother is possible.

It is worth remembering that paroxysmal tachycardia is accompanied not only by an accelerated heartbeat, all symptoms are manifested in a complex. The condition is very dangerous and requires immediate treatment. While a woman is carrying a child, mild preparations are used that do not harm the child, but after childbirth, surgical intervention is possible.

Tachycardia early and late

Such a condition in the first and second trimesters is quite rare, it is mainly caused by various factors, for example, physical education, anxiety and stress, smoking and alcoholic beverages, as well as hormonal changes in the body. If tachycardia during pregnancy appeared at the very beginning of the term and regardless of external factors, then it is urgent to be examined for abnormalities of the cardiovascular system.

It is necessary to consult a doctor urgently if the disease is accompanied by such symptoms:

• at the time of the attack, the state of health becomes much worse, there is pain in the chest, as well as a feeling of anxiety;
• there is dizziness, nausea, vomiting;
• the heart beats rapidly, but at the same time skips beats, which can be a sign of paroxysmal tachycardia.

Toward the end of gestation, an accelerated heartbeat is the norm and occurs in almost everyone, since the body works in an enhanced mode, and a significantly enlarged uterus presses on the heart. It is worth paying attention to the degree of manifestation of symptoms: anything that goes beyond the norm should be the reason for going to the doctor.

The factors are:

1. Often, tachycardia in the later stages occurs if a woman has not given up smoking and drinking caffeinated drinks during pregnancy.
2. In addition, the medications that the expectant mother takes can also become a factor in accelerating the heartbeat. Some of them are capable of provoking tachycardia, for example, Naphthyzinum (drops from the common cold).

If the attack continues for a long time, and the rhythm is more than a hundred beats per minute, then it would be better to consult a doctor regarding this condition.

Treatment of tachycardia

Many women who are familiar with this condition are interested in the question of what to do in such a situation?

If the condition is not caused by cardiac pathologies, the treatment of tachycardia during pregnancy is:

• in full rest;
• in eliminating the cause of stress;
• in ensuring a smooth pregnancy.

But sometimes therapy with the appointment of pharmacological agents may be required. If symptoms appear in the first or second trimester, the woman should be provided with absolute rest and comfortable conditions. And you can also treat this condition with sedatives of natural origin, for example, motherwort tinctures or valerian.

In an accelerated heartbeat in a pregnant woman, there is nothing to worry about if it occurs in the later stages, due to unrest or physical exertion. But when the heart rate accelerates for no reason, it is urgent to be examined and exclude the presence of cardiac pathologies as soon as possible, otherwise it may be too late.